Growing the Green Tea Herb Camellia sinensis
Growing the Green Tea- Tips on How to Grow, Harvest and Enjoy
‘Green tea’ is the popular name for the oxidized product of the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Amazingly it is one of many drinks that come from this plant. Amazingly white tea, oolong and black tea all come from this plant too. Therefore it is commonly known as the ‘tea plant!’
Whenever people tell you that they are skeptical about the benefits of growing medicinal garden herbs, I always use green tea as an example of what herbs can do for health. The list of diseases that it has been proven to help fight is massive. So massive in fact there are still trials under way to see if there may be any more benefits.
So far there is scientific evidence for the green tea herb helping fight cardiovascular disease, cancer (Breast and prostrate), kidney stones, bad cognition, heart disease, cholesterol and high blood pressure. On top of that preliminary tests are showing that it looks good for helping the fight against Parkinson’s disease and possibly even Multiple Sclerosis! This is mostly thanks for the healthy polyphenols found in tea. With a list like that, it is hardly surprising that it remains one of the most popular kinds of tea out there.
In addition to these numerous health benefits it has a great color and smell. Therefore it makes a great addition to an ornamental or aromatic herb garden.
Growing the Green tea Herb
Camellia sinensis comes from the heart of hot Asia, so it is no surprise that it loves the heat (For those who understand zones, it is a zone 8 plant). What is more surprising is that it loves high elevations and most commercial crops are grown in these areas. If you are looking to sell this herb, that may cause problems, however if you only want to make some for personal use, this is not such a big worry. In fact it has been grown in places as mild as Cornwall in the United Kingdom! So for those that have a good greenhouse this plant can be grown as part of a tea herb garden. Make sure that it is kept inside over cold winters, as its growth can be badly damaged if it gets too cold.
On top of the heat requirements, it requires your soil to be acidic and a little sandy. Most people use soil specifically for growing Camellia sinensis, as it can be a nuisance to grow the green tea herb in other soils. Many gardeners use peat moss to help their plant grow as this moss helps sandy soils to retain water and nutrients.
Harvesting the Green Tea Herb
After about 3 years of growth (No, that is not a misprint), you will want to start harvesting your crop. If your goal is to get the best parts for green tea, you will want to target the young buds and leaves (Careful to trim off the stems), which are usually at the top of the plant. Once you have harvested them, transfer the leaves to an oven and use a low temperature (200-250 degrees F/ 80 degrees C) to dry the green tea herb leaves. Once completely dry, they can then be crushed and stored.
By allowing them to dry out slowly in the sun or more quickly, you will get different flavors (Or sometimes different drinks as the main difference between oolong, black and green teas is their respective drying times). Also these flavors go fantastically well with most flower or soft flavorings, so have fun combining them and coming up with unique tastes.
